The Witcher Showrunner Throws Subtle Shade at Henry Cavill Ahead of Season 4
With The Witcher Season 4 landing on Netflix October 30, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is loudly backing new Geralt Liam Hemsworth—stirring talk that the praise doubles as a sly swipe at predecessor Henry Cavill as the mantle changes hands.
Netflix is about to swap monster slayers. Season 4 of The Witcher lands October 30, 2025, and Liam Hemsworth is officially stepping into Geralt’s boots after Henry Cavill’s exit. The handoff’s been loud online, but showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has been out front talking up Hemsworth in a way that, yeah, kind of reads like a quiet comparison to Cavill.
On set: nerves, then calm
Hissrich told Dexerto the cast and crew were nervous when Hemsworth first showed up. Big role, big change. But she says his whole vibe cooled the room down fast, calling him easygoing and, her word of the moment, 'effortless.'
'Everything about him is just effortless.'
According to her, he set the tone on set and put people at ease just by how comfortable he was walking into a very established machine.
About Cavill’s exit (and the not-so-hidden subtext)
Hissrich has addressed Cavill moving on before: he had other projects he wanted to chase, and she wasn’t interested in keeping someone in a job they didn’t want. In her view, it was the right time for everyone to turn the page. Now, in talking up Season 4, she’s leaning into what Hemsworth does differently.
So what changes with Geralt?
Per Hissrich, this Geralt is a touch funnier, a little drier, and a lot more emotional. She says Hemsworth tapped into vulnerable layers they couldn’t really access in earlier seasons. If you loved Cavill’s famously stoic take, that’s the contrast she’s nudging you to notice.
Why Hemsworth got the job
In an IGN chat, Hissrich broke down the criteria: Geralt needs serious physical presence for the monster-bashing and intimidation factor, but he also has to carry a big emotional core. She says Hemsworth blends both without flipping a switch between action mode and feelings mode. She even called out that he brings a 'soul' to the role through fight scenes and quieter moments with Ciri and Yennefer. His work in The Hunger Games is what convinced her he could pull off both ends and make the character his own, not just mimic what came before.
Hemsworth’s side: reluctant, then in
Hemsworth told RadioTimes.com he was hesitant at first. Not because of the backlash threat, but because it’s a massive part with a very vocal fanbase. He was already deep in the world — a fan of the games, watched the show, read the books — and that’s ultimately why he said yes. His line is basically: if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have done it, but he felt he could do justice to the character and bring an interesting spin to this chapter.
The season in a sentence
Expect a Geralt who still carves up monsters but shows more warmth and dry humor while protecting Ciri across a war-torn Continent.
- Release date: The Witcher Season 4 hits Netflix (US) on October 30, 2025.
- Behind-the-scenes vibe: cast and crew were nervous at first; Hemsworth’s 'effortless' presence eased the room, per Hissrich (Dexerto).
- The new Geralt: funnier, drier, more emotional — Hissrich says Hemsworth unlocks vulnerability they couldn’t reach before.
- Why him: physical intimidation plus emotional depth, with a consistent 'soul' across action and dialogue (IGN). Hunger Games helped sell it.
- Hemsworth’s take: initially reluctant, but signed on because he’s a fan and believes he can do right by the role (RadioTimes.com).
For the curious scoreboard watchers: The Witcher sits around 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.9/10 on IMDb (overall).
Can Hemsworth match (or reroute) Cavill’s legacy? I’m genuinely curious where you land on this one.